PERSONAL | Reflecting on my 2017 Goals

Today I thought I’d look back and reflect on the goals I set myself for 2017 and how I got on..

I always try to be fairly realistic with the goals that I set myself, as otherwise it can be quite disheartening to never achieve them if they’re unrealistic! Let’s see how I got on this year with regards to the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year. (You can read my 2017 Goals post here).

My 2017 Goals

Blog More – I think it’s safe to say that I definitely achieved this goal with Blogmas itself! I absolutely love blogging, but I do find it hard to keep up with it all whilst also having a full time job and trying to make photography my next career. I’m actually quite proud of myself – and I don’t say that often at all – for completing Blogmas and hopefully I can do it again this year! I want to continue to blog more throughout 2018 and hopefully get myself a schedule going.

Set up my Etsy Shop – I did actually do this and I do still have my shop, but I think I need to put more into this and actually set some time aside for taking photos specifically to sell. I don’t have anything listed on my shop anymore, as Etsy is quite ‘tiny fish in a massive ocean’ and I don’t have large platforms to promote myself on. I’m completely fine with it, but I would love to sell my own photography prints one day – it has always been a dream of mine.

Post More on YouTube – Most of you reading this will probably not even know that I have my own YouTube channel, but I do and surprisingly enough I never post on there – at least I haven’t for a couple of years anyway. YouTube is a funny old thing and I’m not sure I’m the right kind of person for it, I definitely prefer blogging and think I’ll stick to just that for the time being.

Post More on Instagram – I believe I’ve done quite well with posting more on Instagram and I have definitely seen my account grow since I have started posting more. I fell completely out of love with Instagram at the beginning of the year and also towards the mid-end of the year with the stupid new algorithm, but I’m really pleased that I stuck with it and strived towards taking better photos. I really want to daily post to Instagram, but I’m a perfectionist and I refuse to post photos that I’m not happy with so it can get quite difficult to post daily with that mindset! I also just wanted to quickly mention that I finally hit 3k followers on Instagram and I’m so so happy!!

Explore More – I’m a homebody through and through and I’m at my happiest when I’m at home or in my hometown, I can’t help it! I set myself the challenge to explore more, whether that be abroad or in my own country and I’m pleased to say that I did it! Here are a few new places I visited last year;

Mendip Hills – a New Year walk

Edinburgh – a birthday trip

Mexico – annual week holiday

Brighton – a Christmas trip with the girls

Have a Clear Out – I had a fair amount of clear outs this year and managed to decrease the size of my wardrobe – yet I still can’t fit anything in there? – and sell a few items too. I’m always going through my wardrobe and selling clothes on eBay and Depop and I will continue to do this until I have a walk-in wardrobe 🙂 I did have a blitz through my whole room as well and I got rid of things that I didn’t need anymore. I love having clear outs!

Do More Exercise – I started off the year just doing one Zumba class on a Tuesday evening and here’s what I do now;

It’s safe to say that I’ve upped my fitness game and I will continue all of these classes and try and do more exercise too.

Potentially Re-decorate my Room – I’m not really sure why I added this one in last year as it was obviously never going to happen. I didn’t re-deocrate my room as it costs too much money and now I have new bedding, I’m happy with how it looks. I think I’ll save the decorating for when I eventually move out..

Save for a House Deposit – I was doing extremely well with this and I did actually have £3,000 saved.. But then the holiday to Mexico happened and I also needed a new phone so let’s just say I failed this one massively and I’m hugely disappointed in myself. 2018 will be the year I stop buying myself stuff and actually start saving (she says)…

Choose Happy – I’ve felt a lot happier this year and that’s definitely down to picking up photography again and also feeling more confident. Feeling happy with yourself rather than ‘things’ is soo important and is something I intend to keep up throughout 2018.

I’m happy with what I managed to achieve last year and my 2018 goals for this year will be coming soon!